MIST
by MaiaFiddle
Summary: So you think you know this world? You don't know the half of it...


"Not again!" I groaned as a zebra came cantering out of an alleyway is Downtown Vegas

"Well at least they're regular animals this time" Joyce reasoned though by her tone she was as annoyed as I.

We were currently cruising down a street surrounded on all sides by high end shopping outlets. Joyce was driving the battered Ute we used for clean up missions. I was riding shotgun and it was from here that I had first seen the zebra.

"Ready?" Joyce asked as she turned into an empty parking lot

"Ready" I nodded, pulling a blue halter embroidered with waves and seashells out of the glove box.

Together we advanced up the street to where the Zebra had stopped to graze at the sparse shrubbery between the roads

"The council isn't going to like that" I whispered as we crossed the road towards him.

The Zebra looked up at my words and his whole body tensed ready to flee. I quickly thrust the halter out before me and though he remained on edge the zebra didn't back away as we approached.

"Yeah you recognize it don't you buddy" I crooned "You know we're not going to hurt you."

The zebra relaxed and pushed his nose into the halter as I held it up. I made reassuring noises as I buckled the straps together.

"There we go buddy" I said as I tugged the last strap into place "let's get you to a safer place"

We probably looked a sight, Joyce and me walking back down the street leading a zebra but no one even batted an eyelid. That's the beauty of the halter, it was magic. A gift from Poseidon no less. He was less helpful with the lion and antelope though. Oh well you can't blame gods. Well you can but not if you don't want to be shish-kebabed, eaten or cursed in some other horrible way.

"I hope Chase and Jeremy are OK" Joyce began "I wouldn't want to be chasing a lion"

"Artemis said she could spare some hunters to help, they'll probably be back before we are. It's Clara and Johnny we should really feel sorry for, they don't have any help at all" I replied

"Yeah well except that they both grew up in a zoo"

I laughed, "Well yes that probably helps a lot."

We reached the Ute and Joyce pulled her phone from her pocket.

"Hey Clara, how's that Antelope coming?"

"…Cool, we got our zebra, you guys heard from Chase yet"

"…Awesome see you in five"

Exactly five minutes later a truck with "Kansas Zoo" splashed in colourful letters on the side came driving down the road and backed up beside us.

"Hey guys" A tall blonde blue-eyed guy waved as he climbed out of the passenger side

"Hey Johnny" I replied, "Have fun antelope hunting?"

"It was great!"Exclaimed a girl, emerging from the back of the truck

The girl had brown hair plaited down her back and was much shorter than Johnny. The only similarity that showed them as twins was their identical blue eyes.

"He walked right into my trap" The girl continued

"Hi Clara, nice of your dad to lend us his truck" Joyce observed

"Yeah it was awesome! I just told him 'hey I know of these animals running loose in Vegas, you know I can catch 'em' and he just gave me the keys!"

"Yeah right Clara, it took you all week to convince him" Johnny laughed

"Well maybe but you guys took all the rides! I had to do something!" Clara insisted

"Speaking of rides" Joyce pointed down the road to where a bright blue minivan had just appeared.

As the van pulled up two guys jumped out, well the one with dark blond hair and grey eyes jumped out. The other more tripped. He got up from the curb, pushing his mouse-brown hair out of his green eyes and grinned at them.

"Hey Chase, nice to see you've still got your dignity Jeremy" Joyce greeted them both as they made their way over.

"You know me" Jeremy replied "I could trip off a building into a pond full of - crocodiles and still have my dignity."

"Your life; no but you would still have you're dignity" Chase grinned.

Suddenly the Zebra let out a bray that made everyone jump

"Sorry buddy" I comforted "almost forgot you were there"

"All right people" Joyce called while re fastening her blonde pigtail "Let's get this zebra loaded then get this show on the road; I want these animals back in Kansas by Morning!"

I suppose I should explain some things before I continue. First of all my name is Maia, by now you probably think I'm a demigod by the whole Poseidon and Artemis thing, but I'm not. I'm only mortal. Joyce, Chase, Jeremy, Clara, Johnny and I make of the Kansas branch of M.I.S.T. In case you don't know, and I'm pretty sure you don't, that stands for Mortal Institution of Seeing True. Yeah I know, not a great name but I guess they really wanted it to abbreviate to mist seeing as that's what makes us special. So if you haven't guessed by now M.I.S.T is a group of mortals who can see through the mist so we know about gods and monsters, we even know about demigods though they don't know about us. Basically we're like one big clean up team hired by the gods to make sure regular mortals don't notice what the demigods leave behind on their quests. They can't have people talking. Still it's not so bad, we get to talk to the gods sometimes and they send us cool items like the horse halter. And they help us out when things get really intense but it would still be nice to go on an adventure instead of just cleaning up after them.


End file.
